10 Best Pound For Pound Boxers of All Time

Throughout the history of the Sweet Science, countless references and insights have been made in regards to the ten best pound for pound boxers of all time. Without more ado, here is the latest addition to the archives of that significant list.

Manny Pacquiao. The "Pacman" clearly deserves the top spot for the ten best pound for pound boxers of all time due to his destruction of the best recognized champions in his era such as Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Erik Morales, Marco Antonio Barrera, and most recently, Miguel Angel Cotto. Pacquiao became the first ever boxer to capture seven titles in seven different weight divisions and the only pugilist to hold four lineal championship crowns when he conquered Cotto in their welterweight clash.

Muhammad Ali. Ali fought most of the feared heavyweight champions in his time and destroyed them at will such as George Foreman and Joe Frazier, whom he went two out of three in their trilogy of championship ring wars. In his professional career, Ali became the first boxer to win the lineal heavyweight crown three times.

Mike Tyson. "Iron Mike" was the first ever heavyweight champion to claim the IBF, WBA and WBC titles concurrently, and he remains as the youngest fighter to capture all heavyweight belts by knocking out Trevor Berbick in the second round when he was just twenty years old.

Sugar Ray Robinson. Ask Muhammad Ali and he would tell you that the greatest of them all was Sugar Ray Robinson. He became th first boxer in history to claim a divisional world championship five times when he outlasted Carmen Basilio to recapture the middleweight crown in 1958.

Henry Armstrong. His real name was Henry Jackson, Jr., but was known as the "Homicide Hank" and "Hurricane Henry." Armstrong was a member of the elite group of boxers to win championships in three or more distinct divisions (during an era when there were only a few existing weight categories), but he has the distinction of being the only pugilist to hold three different world championships at one time.

Rocky Marciano. He was the original "Rocky" and the only retired heavyweight champion who have won all his professional fights, mostly by knock outs, 44 out of 49. His outstanding resume include knock out victories over Joe Louis, Jersey Joe Walcott and Archie Moore.

Marvelous Marvin Hagler. His destruction of Thomas Hearns in their middleweight championship clash in 1985 billed as "The War" is regarded until now as one of the most explosive and most relentless championship battles of all time in boxing history. Hagler punished Hearns with wicked combinations while absorbing the latter's vicious right hooks and crosses, until the fight ended in three rounds declaring Hagler as the winner via knockout.

Joe Louis. The "Brown Bomber" has ruled the heavyweight division from 1939 to 1947, and successfully defended his title 25 times. He was the heavyweight champion of the world for 140 consecutive months in his era.

Sugar Ray Leonard. "Sugar Ray" was the fighter of the decade in the 1980s and fought some of the great legends of the Sweet Science such as Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. He achieved three National Golden Gloves titles before he even reached his twentieth birthday, and that was a sweet accomplishment.

Gabriel "Flash" Elorde. Next to Manny Pacquiao, Elorde is the second most popular Filipino boxer of all time. The "Flash" ruled the junior lightweight division for seven years and three months, thus he was regarded as the greatest super featherweight champion of all time in WBC history.

The debate on who the best pound for pound boxer of all time is will never cease and it will flourish even more as fresh breed of exceptional champions emerge in the boxing scene.